Teen Eating Disorders

As students begin going back to school, we wanted to take a
look at a very important topic relating to the health of all students- eating
disorders.The National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH) defines eating disorders as:

There
is a commonly held view that eating disorders are a lifestyle choice. Eating
disorders are actually serious and often fatal illnesses that cause severe
disturbances to a person’s eating behaviors. Obsessions with food, body weight,
and shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include
anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

Eating disorders frequently begin during the teenage years,
and are not limited only to girls, boys can also be affected; however, data
shows women are roughly 2.5 times more likely to have an eating disorder.

There are many possible diagnoses for an eating disorder, but
there are three that are most common- anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and
binge eating.Of the three, anorexia has
the highest mortality rate, often due to complications from starvation or
suicide.Symptoms include, but are not
limited to:

Extremely
restricted eating

Extreme
thinness (emaciation)

A
relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or
healthy weight

Intense
fear of gaining weight

Distorted
body image, a self-esteem that is heavily influenced by perceptions of
body weight and shape, or a denial of the seriousness of low body weight

Bulimia is characterized by “recurrent or frequent episodes
of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over
these episodes,” and are followed by “forced vomiting, excessive use of
laxatives or diuretics, fasting excessive exercise, or a combination of these
behaviors.”It is not uncommon for a
patient with bulimia to maintain what is considered a healthy weight, and
symptoms include:

Chronically
inflamed and sore throat

Swollen
salivary glands in the neck and jaw area

Worn
tooth enamel and increasingly sensitive and decaying teeth as a result of
exposure to stomach acid

Acid
reflux disorder and other gastrointestinal problems

Intestinal
distress and irritation from laxative abuse

Severe
dehydration from purging of fluids

Electrolyte
imbalance (too low or too high levels of sodium, calcium, potassium and
other minerals) which can lead to stroke or heart attack

People suffering from binge-eating
disorder feel as though they have no control over their eating, and suffer
from periods of binge-eating that, unlike bulimia, are not followed by the
purging habits.Often overweight or
obese, this is themost common
eating disorder in the United States, and symptoms include:

Eating
unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time

Eating
even when you're full or not hungry

Eating
fast during binge episodes

Eating
until you're uncomfortably full

Eating
alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment

Feeling
distressed, ashamed, or guilty about your eating

Frequently
dieting, possibly without weight loss

While eating disorders can begin and affect any age, it is
not uncommon for these diseases to begin during the teenage years, if you
suspect your teen shows any of the above symptoms, please schedule an immediate
appointment with a doctor or mental health professional.These diseases are an illness, and the most
effective treatments are handled by licensed professionals.For more information, please visit NIMH.